Circular-knitting machine.



W. H. n E. BLACKBURN.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1909.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

kcircular knitting Um Af f' TED STATES PATENT oElricEY.l

ENGLAND.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

1,084,194. Specification of Letters Patent `PatentedJan. 13,1914.

Application filed August 6, 1909. Serial No. 511,526.

To all whom t may ooncemf.'

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HENRY BLACKBURN and RICHARD BLACKBURN,subi` jects of the King of Great Britain, and residents of Nottingham,England, have invented certain new and useful Improve' ments in'Circular-Knitting Machines, ofwhichthe following is a specification.-

This invention relates to improvements in machines with multi-feeders,and its object is to producev on such machines, knitted fabrics withvertical stripes in twoor more colors.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1. is an interior view or developmentof part of the cam cylinder-showing the disposition of the cams and theneedles. Fig'. 2. is a ,ver-

'tical section of the cam and needle cylinder of the machine. Figs. 3, 4and 5 are views showing the dierent forms of needles ernployed.

Like letters indicate like the drawings. i

According to this invention the circumference of the machine is dividedinto an equal number of sections, each of which is provided with its ownthread feeder, sinker, and needle operating cams, 'thewhole of whichare'reciprocated, so that each thread is always supplied to and knittedon the same section or group of needles in the` ma'- chine.

Every alternate section in the machine is filled with needles A (seeFig. l.) each provided with an upper butt A1, that is a butt situatedsome distance up the needle stem, and the remaining sections withneedles B each provided with a lower butt B1, that is a buttnear thelower part of the needle Stem. One of the needles A with an uppery buttA1 is shown detached in Fig. 3. and one of the needles B with a lowerbutt B1 parts throughout is shown in Fig. 4.

The joining needles C at the ends of the sections, that is thoseneedles'which are situated at the points where one section ends andanother begins, are (as shown more clearly in Fig. 5.) eachprovided withtwo butts C1, that is, both upper and lower, but the said -butts C1 ofthese needles C are as shown,-

made shorter than the butts A1 B1 of the other needles.

lower butts in alternatefise'ctions of the ma- 4 chine, and arranglngthe cams as described, space is providedfor eachset of cams to .run outof its own section into-the one next to it on either side, withoutoperating the needles in the latter sections. Referring to Fig. 1. thecam-ring D has just completed its movement to the left, and the sets ofcams are all on the left of the groups of the needles which theyoperate. The camring D will now move to the right as indicated by thearrow, and on the completion of this movement, the cams shown on theleft ofFig. l. will have moved into the same position as the cams shown`on the right.

The knitting -vcams E in the upper tier are of full thickness, and theirinner faces are flush with the inner' face of the cam-ring D, (as shownin Fig. 2.). The clearing cams E1 E2 on either side of the knitting camsE, are only abouthalf the thickness of the knitting cams E, and theirinner faces are consequently sunk below the inner face of the cam-ring.The knitting cams E not only actuate the needles A with upper buttsA1,'but they engage with the upper butts C1 of the joining needles C intheir respective sections, and actuate the latter as well. The clearingcams E1 E2 being of reduced thickness or sunk, do not engage with theshort upper butts C1 ofthe needles C,but engage with the butts A1of andcleart the needles A every course.

The knitting cams F in the lower tier, are the same as and act in asimilar manner yto thev knitting cams E previously described, that is tosay, they engage with the butts B1 of and actuate the needles B; theyvalso engage with thelower huttsC1 of and actuate the joining needles Cin their respective sections. The clearingcam F1 on the left of theknitting cams F is of reduced thickness or sunk, it will thereforeengage The needle operating cams are arranged with the butts B1 of andclear the needles B, but will not engage the lower butts C1 ing needlesof the joining needles C. The clearing cams F 2 on the right of the camsF may be full thickness and flush with the inner face of the cam-ring D,in which case they engage with the lower butts C:L of and clear thejoining needles C, as well as the needlesB every course,

every other course, these cams are constructed as shown in therdrawings.

In this case the upper part of the cam F2' is cut away or reduced so asto form a lower step at F3, (see Fig. 2.) and a tumbler G is pivoted ina recess at one end, as shown more clearly moving to the left, the topof the cam F2 acts on the butts B1 of the needles B and clears them,whileonly the lower step F3 of said cam engages with the short lowerbut-ts C1 of the joining needles C, and this' raises the latter, butnot'high enough for them to clear their loops. In moving to the right',the tumbler G is turned up by the needle butts, and the joining needlesC are in this case raised and cleared as well as the ordinary needles.

The' general action is as follows z-The needles A with upper butts A1 ineach of the sections, are caused to knit each motion by the action ofthe knitting cams E, and are cleared by onercr the other of the clearingcams El and E2. The needles B with lower butts B1 in the remainingsections, are caused to knit each motion by the knitting cams F, and arecleared by the clearing cams Fl and F2, to the right, and the latterwhen moving to the left. The joining needles C at the ends of thesections, are actuated by both the upper and lower knitting cams E andF,`

and theyth-us knit twice to the others once, each .forming the firstneedle in one section,- and the last in the next section, taking bothIthreads. These needles C are only cleared by the clearing cam F2, andwhen of the construction shown, it raises the joining needles Chigh'enough to take the yarn, but not high enough for them to cleartheir loops when moving to the left, but thetumliler G comes into actionand raises them to the full extent when moving to the. right, j

.so that these needles C are only cleared every othercourse. Thesejoining needles C -thus tuck and knit alternately, so that they cachhold the thread from the section on one side, until they have taken thethread from the section on the other side, and then clear *hotln lViththis system of working a per.

fectly straight joining line is obtained at the points where therespective strips of inatcrial, knitted on the different sections, arejoined together.

rl`he needle cam-ring D through the requisite angular space well knownmechanical contrivance,

is reciprocated by any and the or in order to clearthe joinin Fig. l.When the cams are the former when moving of a reciprocating cam ring,

ends of the groups sinker cam-ringH (see Fig. 2), which is provided witha set of cams for each section, is connected to the needle cani-ring Dby a well known lost motion device, so that the needle cam-cylinder hasalways the requisiteV lead of the sinker cam-ring, .as is well known.

The thread feeder may comprise a ring J j provided with a hole J1 foreach thread, said holes being spaced the required distance A apart,andjas ferent color, the various colored effects v, which can beproduced in the fabric is very considerable.

a seat provided for it in the sinker cam-ring H, and is connected to thereciprocating needle cam-ring by means of any well known frictiondriving device. Fixed stops are proeach thread `may be of a dif- Thethread feeder ring'J described, rests in 80 vided to bring it to restbefore the cam cyl- 35 indeii-iat the end of each movement in eitherdirection, so that it always starts with the requisite lead or inadvance of theneedle cams.

What' we claim as our invention and de- 90 sire to secure by LettersPatent is j l. In a. circular knitting machine for making verticalstriped fabrics, the combination of a reciprocating cam ring,reciprocating thread feeders, ordinary needles arranged in groups thosein alternate groups all having upper Alont-ts and those in the`remaining roups all lower butts, joining needles at the ends of thegroups with' both upper and lower butts shorter than those of the ordifnaryA needles, needle operating cams arranged alternately in upper andlower tiers in the camv ring, knitting cams in both tiers thatwill'operate both the 'ordinary and joining needles, sunk clearing camsin one tier 105 that will clear the ordinary needles, sunk clearing camsin the other tier that will clearl the ordinary needles, steppedclearing cams adapted to clearthe ordinary needles and the thread, andmeans for clearing the joining needles every alternate course,substantially as described. y

2.v In a circular knitting kmachine for making vertical striped fabrics,

thread-feeders, ordinary needlesarranged in groups those in alternate'groups all having upper butts and those in the remaining groups alllower butts,

with both' upper and lowerv buttsshorter than those olf-the ordinaryneedles, needle operatling cams arranged alternately in the upper and.lower raise the joining needles high enough to take 11e the combinationreciprocating joining needles at the 12 tiers in the cam ring, knittingcams in both 121 tiers that will operate bot-h the ordinary and joiningneedles, sunk clearing cams in one tier that will clear the ordinaryneedles, sunk clearing cams in the other tier that will clear theordinary. needles,

stepped ia thethread, and a tumbler cam pivoted in eech'ofsaid steppedQle'aring cams adapted4 clearing cams adapted to clear the ordinarynames to this specification in the presence of needles, and raise thejoining needles to take two subscribing wltnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACKBURN. RICHARD BLACKBURN.

t9 raise and clear the Joining needles every alternate course,substantially as described. lIn testimony whereof We have signedourWitnesses:

J. H. G. BAYLEs, A. TATTERSALL.

Cpies of this patent may be obtained for iive` cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents.

' Washingtan, D. C.

